In a corner of the pristine hall, a pile of blackened remains sat in a heap. These were the relics of Andre and his men, along with the equipment they had been wearing. Aside from Andre’s upper torso, which had been charred into a dark residue, the rest of their bodies had been consumed by Hill—or rather, processed by her magic—until not a single cell remained.
Siloque, wearing plastic gloves, rummaged through the pile of what looked like burnt seaweed to find Andre’s storage bracelet. There wasn’t much inside. There were 3,000 gold coins, seven or eight decent items, some books on life and economics, and a smartphone. None of it felt particularly useful.
‘The old geezer really didn’t drop much loot.’
The items left in the bags of the other two were similar, totaling only about 2,000 gold coins… ‘Seriously, aren’t you terrorists a bit too poor? Is everyone a monk?’ In the game, after Andre was sliced into thirty-nine pieces by Cass, he was eaten clean by Hertanid, leaving nothing behind. Was it actually better that something remained now? Even the smallest scrap was still meat, so Siloque accepted it with a smile.
He moved the usable items and cash into his Ring Chart. As for the rest, Siloque swept them into a trash bag to be burned and disposed of later. He looked at Andre’s smartphone, lost in thought. After lighting up the screen, he saw the battery was at 80% and it required a fingerprint to unlock.
“Heh.”
Siloque chuckled softly; this wouldn’t stop him. He switched to password mode and entered the code 288700, which he knew from data-mining the game. The unlock was successful, and he entered the system.
The phone interface was extremely simple. Aside from a few default system apps, only LINE was installed. In the contact list, there was only one account displayed, labeled as “The Firebringer.”
Siloque scrolled through the chat history. Messages about supermarket discounts, which Dungeon monsters were the most profitable, and the downstairs drain being clogged again—it looked like mundane daily chatter. However, Siloque knew these were code words. He tried to translate them in his mind, and after deciphering the correct conversation, he felt a bit surprised.
‘Action confirmed, preparations for attack underway, instigating conflict… Hmm, this part matches the progression of the storyline.’
The messages indicated that two members of the Evil Demon Society had already infiltrated the Fox-kin and established a cooperative relationship. This wasn’t surprising. What was surprising were the names of the two members. One of them was a member Siloque had guessed might be involved but had not actually met yet.
‘She came too, huh.’
It didn’t matter. Although there were some discrepancies, it was still within the scope of the plan. It even saved him the effort of looking for her.
“Eh—? You, you’re leaving? At least stay for dinner tonight!”
Inafa’s somewhat whimpering voice came from behind him. Siloque put Andre’s smartphone into his Ring Chart to deal with later. Tiana was talking to Inafa, while Hill tactfully backed away and pulled out her own smartphone, likely starting up a game.
Inafa wore a lonely expression, but then she puffed out her chest and lifted her head, returning to her usual arrogant demeanor. “Hmph, whatever. If you have a family, you really should take good care of them. Don’t be like me, whose parents both—”
Tiana pulled Inafa into a hug. “I’ll be back. It’s not a final goodbye.”
At first, Inafa tried to push her away, but she soon stopped struggling and hugged back just as tightly. The ghost and her servant held each other for a long while before reluctantly letting go. Tiana walked over to Siloque’s side.
“I can’t leave her side for too long, but I’ll still come by at least once every week.”
Siloque thought to himself, ‘This woman is moveing way too fast.’ He took a careful look at Tiana and noticed that she actually looked a bit thinner than when they first met. So that was it. With such high-frequency, continuous combat and no use of contraceptive magic, it would be harder *not* to win the lottery.
“That thing you gave us… a walkie-talkie, right? Use it to contact me if anything happens. I’ll come rushing over with the momentum of someone splitting a mountain range!”
“Though it’s strange for me to say this, Tiana, you really trust us quite a bit. We haven’t even known each other for a week, right?”
Tiana grinned. “Of course I trust you. Aside from the fact that you helped us so many times, you still have my Dragon’s Mark on you. If you ever do anything to make my Master cry, I’ll find you even if you run to the Sixth Floor.”
‘The worst thing she can imagine me doing is making her cry… She really does trust my moral baseline.’
“And after you find me?” Siloque asked.
“I’ll eat you.”
“Truly a simple and clear end.”
“Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding!”
Tiana slapped Siloque’s shoulder, this time adjusting her strength so it didn’t hurt. she then rubbed Siloque’s head. “Wow, your hair is so smooth, kid. It feels as comfortable as flowing water.”
“Hey, you can touch it, but don’t lean in and smell it!”
She glanced at Inafa out of the corner of her eye and leaned toward Siloque’s ear. “Master has guarded this castle for over 100 years. Usually, I’m the only one with her when she wakes up. Spend more time with her.”
“Don’t worry. I’d love to be with her even while she’s sleeping.”
“What exactly do you think I meant…”
Seeing Siloque hold his forehead in silence, Tiana gave a mature smile. Then she ran over to hug Inafa one more time and gave a hug to Hill, who was currently drawing cards in her game. Tiana stepped onto the balcony, transformed into a giant Dragon, and flew away. The golden-eyed Vampire’s gaze followed the silver Dragon into the distance until it became a black dot and vanished completely.
“Heh, since you’ve decided to stay here, let me give you a tour. It would be a hassle to clean up if you accidentally stepped on a trap and died in a puddle.”
Inafa looked like she was dying to show off. If this were a manga, the corners of her mouth would have been curled up to her ears. After disposing of all the trash, the two humans and one ghost stood at the main entrance of the castle. Previously, Siloque and Hill had been busy rushing to help, but now that they were free, they could take a serious look at this grand castle.
It was massive. That was Siloque’s only thought.
Rather than a castle, Siloque felt it was more like a fortress. The walls were built of white stone, and the steeply pitched roof was covered in gray slate shingles. Orange light glowed from countless arched windows, creating a sharp contrast with the deep blue dusk. This was much more beautiful than a certain black mouse’s theme park.
Inafa had lived in such a huge place all by herself for hundreds of years. At the same time, he couldn’t help but recall the scene where Andre had stood up while carrying a roof weighing dozens of tons and the claw of Tiana’s Dragon form. He felt a bit of lingering fear; it was a good thing the old man was dead.
Siloque asked, “Can you take us to see the rooms we’ll be staying in tonight first?”
“No problem. Let’s start with the third floor. I’m sure the rooms will satisfy you. But I still have to tell you where the defense mechanisms are first. Tiana told me that you humans are very fragile.”
Siloque had naturally memorized the structure of the entire castle long ago—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to set up barriers throughout the place—so there was no real need for a tour. However, he still nodded in agreement. “I am deeply grateful to have you personally show us around.”
Even though she knew it was flattery, Inafa was so proud that her eyes crinkled into lines. Beside them, Hill said solemnly, “A Vampire’s castle… Will iron spikes pop out of the floor, or will giant iron balls come rolling out?”
Inafa waved her hand. “It’s not that exaggerated. They’re just traps that turn you into blood or ash instantly if you step on them.”
‘That is already very exaggerated.’ Inafa could resurrect herself if she stepped on them. Hill and Siloque only had one life.
“A castle that can insta-kill people… Brother, this sounds way more exciting than a Ghost House. I have to tell Lei about this when I get back. This is so cool!”
‘My sister is as fearless as ever.’ Hill excitedly pulled out her smartphone. “Illyon, can I take a photo?”
“Take a… photo?” Inafa’s thin eyebrows knitted into an eight-shape as she chewed on the word. “Oh, that thing. The ability to print a painting in an instant. Sure.”
“Can I take one of you too, Illyon?”
“Heh, if you can manage it.”
Hill took a photo of the castle, including Inafa in the frame. When she looked at the picture, she let out a small gasp of surprise. Inafa was nowhere to be seen in the photo.
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